At first; initially. Often used to indicate that a situation changed later (e.g., 'At first... but...').
始めは難しかったが、練習して上手になった。
At first it was difficult, but with practice I got better.
彼女は始めは乗り気でなかった。
She wasn't enthusiastic at first.
始めは少しずつ覚えればいいよ。
It's fine to learn it little by little at first.